Donald Trump’s Worst Conflicts Of Interests As President
The FCC Is Not A Friend Of Consumer Protections
President Trump’s new FCC chairman, Ajit Pai is not a fan of consumer protections. As the head of the FCC, he’s already introduced a plan to roll back Net Neutrality rules. Net Neutrality is good for consumers and small business, but multi-billion dollar companies like Comcast and AT&T would benefit “hugely” by getting rid of Net Neutrality.
The Secret Service Is Paying Trump To Be President
The Secret Service pays to travel with all presidential nominees. It’s standard practice for the agency to reimburse presidential campaigns for the cost of traveling with the candidates. But for Trump, one of his companies (TAG Air, Inc.), owns the plane they traveled on, so the government is effectively paying Trump directly. “The taxpayers are actually reimbursing Trump for the travel of the Secret Service agents,” said campaign finance lawyer Brett Kappel.
China And Trademark Approvals That Make No Sense
On the very same day Ivanka Trump sat next to Chinese President Xi Jinping at a dinner at Mar-a-Lago, the Chinese government just happened to approve three new trademarks for Ivanka’s merchandise in China. Ethics experts caution that Ivanka is not able to separate business from politics in her new advisory position at the White House.
UK Golf Courses And A Post-Brexit Headache
Trump owns two large golf courses in Scotland and one in Ireland. Former chief ethics advisor Richard Painter said Trump was “obviously very, very interested financially and emotionally” in his golf courses, which could affect the US position on a post-Brexit trade deal. Painter said there was a clear risk Trump could attempt to promote the interests of his golf resorts. This was especially glaring since Trump used an interview to promote his Turnberry resort, saying it was “doing unbelievably.”
Turkey And Trump International Licensing Partnerships
In 2008, Trump entered a licensing partnership with Turkish conglomerate Dogan Holdings, to build two residential and business towers in Istanbul’s financial district. Relations between Dogan Holdings and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan have been fraught with conflict for many years now. This precarious relationship between Prime Minister Erdogan and the Dogan group means Trump would have a direct conflict between his own business interests and his relationship with a US ally.
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